Questionable Payment Methods

Truck drivers, food and beverage workers, and craft or garment workers are common work groups who are often paid via questionable methods—and sometimes these groups are flat out taken advantage of.

Pay by the piece violations

It is against federal and state laws not to pay workers minimum wage. You may be paid by the car you’ve detailed, route you’ve driven or the sweater you’ve completed—in other words, a price for a unit of work. But—if the price you’re being paid per unit doesn’t work out to be the prevailing minimum wage, we can help.

Also, if you’re being paid minimum wage, but you and your employer agreed to a per piece wage, you need to be compensated by whichever rate is higher.

Pay by the mile violations

If you’re a driver, there is a good chance you’re being cheated from proper breaks and earned overtime. Regardless of whether you’re paid by the load or the mile, you are entitled to the equivalent of your hourly minimum wage plus separately for 10-minute rest breaks for every four hours of work. Truckers are entitled to rest break pay, whether or not you take that rest break.

Washington state tip-pooling updates

As of April 2018, if you are in the hospitality business, tip pooling (or tip sharing) has been expanded to include cooks and dishwashers and other untipped staff, as long as the full WSLA minimum wage or more is being paid to those on the tipped staff. However, owners, managers and supervisors are prohibited from participating in this practice.

If you believe you are not being paid fairly, your employer could owe you significant back wages. Talk to us before you talk to your employer. Often, one violation is accompanied by others and you may have back pay due to you.